Spring-clip-applying tool



March 30, 1965 R. E. HENGES SPRING-CLIP-APPLYING TOOL Filed July 5, 1962 III/Ill!!! Randal E. Hm

United States Patent 3,175,289 SPRlNG-CLIP-APPLYING TOOL Ronald E. Henges, Creve Coeur, Mo. (2814 Locust, St. Louis 3, Mo.) Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. 207,636 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-225) This invention relates to spring-clip-applying tools, and more particularly to a tool for applying to overhead structural members, such as ceiling beams, joists, purlins or the like, spring clips such as are used for suspending drop ceilings, ductwork, piping, electrical fixtures or various other items from said overhead structural members.

For suspending drop ceilings, ductwork, etc. from ceiling beams, joists or the like, it is necessary to attach fasteners to the beams or joists with suspension members, usually constituted by so-called drop wires hanging from the fasteners for suspension of the drop ceiling, ductwork etc. One type of fastener which has come into widespread use for such purpose is a spring clip type of fastener formed from wire and being generally of V-shape, having spring arms divergent from an apex, with the wire coiled into an eye constituting a torsion spring at the apex, with hooks at the ends of the arms for hooking around the side edges of the bottom flange of a beam or joist (such as an I-beam or so-called bulb T), with a drop wire hanging from the eye. The hooks are normally spaced apart a distance less than the Width of the flange, and the clips must be sprung open to apply them to a flange.

Heretofore, application of such clips to overhead structural members has been a tedious, time-consuming operation involving use of ladders or scaffolding to reach the overhead structural members for application of the clips. Among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of a tool for application of such clips by a workman standing on the floor, eliminating any necessity for the use of ladders or scaffolding, and greatly reducing the time and effort required for application of the clips; the provision of a tool such as described enabling application from the floor of clips with drop wires; the provision of a tool such as described which is adjustable for handling clips of different sizes; and the provision of a tool such as described which is economical to manufacture and easy to use. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of what may be referred to as the upper end of a tool of this invention, a handle of the tool being broken away, and showing a spring clip and drop wire as held by the tool with the clip spread;

FIG. 2 is a plan of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of FIG. 2, the handle again being broken away as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken essentially on line 44 of FIG. 3, also showing the bottom flange of an I-beam to illustrate how the tool is used, and showing in dotted lines a clip as it appears when unsprung; and

FIG. 5 is a view on a reduced scale showing the clip as applied to the bottom flange of the I-beam with a drop wire suspended from the clip.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings,

Referring to the drawings, there is indicated at C a spring clip of a type particularly adapted for application 3,175,289 Patented Mar. 30, 1965 ice by a tool T of this invention to the bottom flange F of an I-beam B as appears in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown, clip C is generally of V-shape, made of wire bent so as to form an eye 3 constituting a torsion spring at the apex of the clip and arms 5 diverging from the apex having opposed hooks 7 at their free ends. Normally, these hooks are spaced apart a distance somewhat less than the width of flange F, and arms 5 are adapted to be sprung to spread the hooks for attachment of the clip to the flange (i.e., by flattening of the V-shape of the clip). A drop wire W hangs from the eye 3.

Tool T comprises an elongate tubular handle 9. This is shown broken away in FIGS. 1 and 3, but it will be understood that ordinarily this is of considerable length, long enough to reach to an overhead beam (such as beam B) or joist or the like with its lower end held in the hands of a workman. A cylindric head 11 is secured to one end (which may be referred to as the upper end) of the handle by a connector 13. The latter is shown as an internally screw-threaded sleeve threaded on the upper end of the handle, and suitably secured against becoming unscrewed from the handle as by a tangent pin 15. Handle 9 may be constituted by a length of thin-walled sheet metal conduit, in which case sleeve 13 would not be threaded at its lower end, and the upper end of the handle would not be threaded, but simply telescoped into the lower end of the sleeve and pinned therein. Head 11 has a reduced-diameter stem 17 threaded in the upper end of the sleeve 13, and the head and stem have an axial bore or passage 19 in extension of the bore or passage 21 of the tubular handle 9. The head is suitably secured against becoming unscrewed from the sleeve as by welding stem 17 to the end of the sleeve at 23.

Head 11 is externally screw threaded and an internally screw-threaded cylindric collar 25 is threaded on the head and extends upward therefrom, defining a recess or socket 27. Collar 25 may be turned on head 11 to various adjusted positions for accommodating clips C of different sizes, and is retained in adjusted position by set screws 29. Collar 25 has bayonet slots 31 at diametrically opposite sides thereof extending inward from its outer (upper) end, each slot having a vertical or longitudinal portion 32 and a lateral inner end portion or pocket 33. As viewed in FIG. 1, the pocket of the bayonet slot at the front extends laterally toward the left, and the pocket of the bayonet slot at the rear extends laterally toward the left. As viewed from the upper end of the tool (FIG. 2), the pockets extend arcuately in the same direction (clockwise, as shown) at the inner ends of the slots.

In using the tool, the drop wire W of a clip C is entered through recess 27 into the passage 19 in head 11 and the passage 21 in handle 9, and the clip C positioned with the eye 3 at its apex in the recess seating against the upper end of the head (which constitutes the bottom of recess 27) and centered by partial entry into the upper end of passage 19. The diameter of passage 19, as shown, is somewhat less than the diameter of the eye 3 to preclude full entry of the eye into the upper end of passage 19. However, passage 19 is large enough to accommodate the connection, such as the loop connection indicated at 35, by which the drop wire W is attached to the eye 3. With eye 3 bottomed in recess 27, arms 5 angle upward and outward over the rim 37 of the collar. The clip is then turned (if necessary) to align the arms 5 with the outer ends of the bayonet slots 31, and the arms 5 are sprung into the slots (i.e., the arms are bent down to the point where they engage the lower ends of the slots 31). This spreads the hooks 7 of the clip apart so that they are spaced a distance somewhat greater than the width of flange F. Then, by relative rotation of the clip and 9 tool (usually by turning the clip), the sprung arms 5 are entered in the pockets 33 of the bayonet slots thereby to retain the hooks 7 in spread condition, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.

The workman then takes hold of the lower end of handle 9 and manipulates it to apply the clip to the flange 7 of the beam with the clip straddling the bottom flange F of the beam. This involves moving head 11 and collar 25 upward from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the point where hooks 7 of the spread clip lie alongside the side edges of flange F. Handle 9 may, for example, be sixteen feet long for applying clips to the bottom flanges of beams which are eighteen feet above the floor, and may be shorter or longer as desired. The clip then straddles the bottom flange, and its arms 7 are released so that hooks 7 snap over the side edges of flange F by turning the handle on'its longitudinal axis in the appropriate direction for withdrawal of arms 5 from the pockets 33 at the inner ends of the bayonet slots 31. As viewed in FIG. 2, the handle (and collar 25) would be turned clockwise for this purpose. Then the tool is moved downward, withdrawing it from the clip and the drop wire W, the arms 5 of the clip passing through portions 32 of the bayonet slots.

Clips of the type herein referred to are sold, for example, in four different sizes, a first to fit 1 /2" to 2 /2" flanges, a second to fit 2 /2" to 3 flanges, a third to fit 4" flanges, and a fourth tofit 5" to 6 /2" flanges. The endwise adjustment featureas regards collar 25 enables the tool to be used to apply such clips of different sizes to flanges of dilferent width with control over the amount of spreading of the hooks of the clip as related to clip size and flange width. In this respect, it will be observed that, by endwise adjustment of the collar 25, pockets 33 may be brought closer to or farther away from the upper end of head 11 to control the degree of springing of the arms 5.

Essentially, the tool involves the provision of wall portions projecting endwise from one end of a handle, with bayonet slots in the wall portions for the purpose described. Thus, while collar 25 is circularly continuous, it will be apparent that the same purpose would be served by having in effect two projecting wall portions at opposite sides of head 11 formed with the bayonet slots.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for applying a spring clip to a flange of a structural member such as a beam, joist or the like, the clip being of a generally V-shaped type having arms diverging from an apex with hooks at the ends of the arms for hooking around the side edges of the flange, the hooks being normally spaced apart a distance less than the width of the flange and adapted to be spread farther apart for application to the flange by springing of the arms, the clip having an eye at the apex with a drop wire hanging from the eye, said tool comprising an elongate handle having an elongate axial passage extending thereinto from one end thereof for reception of the drop Wire hanging from the eye of a clip, a head secured at said one end of said handle and having a passage aligned with the said passage in the handle, a collar surrounding the head and projecting outward from the head to define a recess for reception of a clip with the eye of the clip at the bottom of the recess and with the drop wire hanging from the eye extending through the aligned passages in the head and handle, said collar having bayonet slots at opposite sides thereof extending inward from its outer end for reception of the arrns'of a clip to spring the arms and hold the hooks spread, said collar being mounted for adjustment endwise of the head to diflerent positions of adjustment of the bayonet slots relative to the outer end of the head to control the degree of the springing of the arms, and means for holding the collar in adjusted position, said tool being adapted to have a clip positioned in said recess with the arms of the clip aligned with the outer ends of the bayonet slots, after which the arms may be sprung into the bayonet slots thereby to spread the hooks and the clip turned relative to the tool to enter the sprung arms in the inner ends of the bayonet slots to'retain the hooks spread, said arm being releasable from the inner ends of the bayonet slots after initial application of the clip to said flange by turning the handle in the direction for withdrawal of the arms from the inner ends of the bayonet slots.

2. A tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein the head and collar are cylindric, the head being externally threaded and the collar being threaded on the head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,218,109 Neeley Mar. 6, 1917 1,468,349 Grinnell Sept. 18, 1923' 2,973,219 Zalk Feb. 28, 1961' FOREIGN PATENTS 572,662 Canada Mar. 24, 1959 43,590 Norway Jan. 17, 1927 

1. A TOOL FOR APPLYING A SPRING CLIP TO A FLANGE OF A STRUCTURAL MEMBER SUCH AS A BEAM, JOIST OR THE LIKE, THE CLIP BEING OF A GENERALLY V-SHAPED TYPE HAVING ARMS DIVERGING FROM AN APEX WITH HOOKS AT THE ENDS OF THE ARMS FOR HOOKING AROUND THE SIDE EDGES OF THE FLANGE, THE HOOKS BEING NORMALLY SPACED APART A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE FLANGE AND ADAPTED TO BE SPREAD FATHER APART FOR APPLICATION TO THE FLANGE BY SPRINGING OF THE ARMS, THE CLIP HAVING AN EYE AT THE APEX WITH A DROP WIRE HANGING FROM THE EYE, SAID TOOL COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HANDLE HAVING AN ELONGATED AXIAL PASSAGE EXTENDING THERETO FROM ONE END THEREOF FOR RECEPTION OF THE DROP WIRE HANGING FROM THE EYE OF A CLIP, A HEAD SECURED AT SAID ONE END OF SAID HANDLE AND HAVING A PASSAGE ALIGNED WITH THE SAID PASSAGE IN THE HANDLE, A COLLAR SURROUNDING THE HEAD AND PROJECTING OUTWARD FROM THE HEAD OF DEFINE A RECESS FOR RECEPTION OF THE CLIP WITH THE EYE OF THE CLIP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RECESS AND WITH THE DROP WIRE HANGING FROM THE EYE EXTENDING THROUGH THE ALIGNED PASSAGS IN THE HEAD AND HANDLE, SAID COLLAR HAVING BAYONET SLOTS AT OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF EXTENDING INWARD FROM ITS OUTER END FOR RECEPTION OF THE ARMS OF A CLIP T SPRING THE ARMS AND HOLD THE HOOKS SPREAD, SAID COLLAR BEING MOUNTED FOR ADJUSTMENT ENDWISE OF THE HEAD TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE BAYONET SLOTS RELATIVE TO THE OUTER END OF THE HEAD TO CONTROL THE DEGREE OF THE SPRINGING OF THE ARMS, AND MEANS FOR HOLDING THE COLLAR IN ADJUSTED POSITION, SAID TOOL BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A CLIP POSITIONED IN SAID RECESS WITH THE ARMS OF THE CLIP ALIGNED WITH THE OUTER ENDS OF THE BAYONET SLOTS, AFTER WHICH THE ARMS MAY BE SPRUNG INTO THE BAYONET SLOTS THEREBY TO SPREAD THE HOOKS AND THE CLIP TURNED RELATIVE TO THE TOOL TO ENTER THE SPRUNG ARMS IN THE INNER ENDS OF THE BAYONET SLOTS TO RETAIN THE HOOKS SPREAD, SAID ARM BEING RELEASABLE FROM THE INNER ENDS OF THE BAYONET SLOTS AFTER INITIAL APPLICATION OF THE CLIP OF SAID FLANGE BY TURNING THE HANDLE IN THE DIRECTION FOR WITHDRAWAL OF THE ARMS FROM THE INNER ENDS OF THE BAYONET SLOTS. 